Introduction
Access to clean freshwater is becoming increasingly difficult for many people around the globe. The problem of water scarcity will require both local and global remedies and the implementation of permanent, long-term solutions. Ethical issues arise at the levels of both the crisis and its solutions. They also do not result only from the problem of water scarcity. All water use has impacts on humans and the environment that require ethical consideration. The first section of this entry summarizes the water crisis and reviews generally the ethical issues it entails. The second section briefly discusses several proposed solutions and their ethical implications. The third section examines the idea that there is a human right to water. The fourth and final section considers different water management paradigms and their approach to the ethical issues of water use.
The Water Crisis
Water is a truly renewable resource. The water humans consume today is the same water that was...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Anderson, T., & Leal, D. (2010). Priming the invisible pump. In P. Brown & J. Schmidt (Eds.), Water ethics. Washington, DC: Island Press.
Bauer, C. (2004). Results of Chilean water markets: Empirical research since 1990. Water Resources Research, 40(2004), W09S06. https://doi.org/10.1029/2003WR002838.
Biswas, A. (2008). Integrated water resources management: Is it working? Water Resources Development, 24, 5–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/07900620701871718.
Brown, P., & Schmidt, J. (2010). Water ethics: Foundational readings for students and professionals. Washington, DC: Island Press.
Falkenmark, M., & Folke, C. (2010). In P. Brown & J. Schmidt (Eds.), Ecohydrosolidarity: A new ethics for stewardship of value-adding rainfall. Washington, DC: Island Press.
Gleick, P., Wolff, G., Chalecki, E., & Reyes, R. (2002). The new economy of water. Oakland: Pacific Institute.
Glennon, R. (2005). Water scarcity, marketing, and privatization. Texas Law Review, 83, 1873–1902.
Global Water Partnership. (2000). Integrated water resources management, TAC background papers no. 4. Stockholm: GWP Secretariat.
Leopold, A. (1949). A sand county almanac. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Norton, B. (2010). The rebirth of environmentalism as pragmatic, adaptive management. In P. Brown, & J. Schmidt (Eds.).
Pennington, K., & Cech, T. (2010). Introduction to water resources and environmental issues. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.
Petit, O., & Baron, C. (2009). Integrated water resources management: From general principles to its implementation by the state. The case of Burkina Faso. Natural Resources Forum, 33, 49–59.
Sampford, C. (2009). Water rights and water governance: A cautionary tale and the case for interdisciplinary government. In M. Llamas, L. Martínez-Cortina, & A. Mukherji (Eds.), Water ethics, Marcelino Botín water forum 2007. London: CRC Press.
Sax, J. (2010). Understanding transfers: Community rights and the privatization of water. In P. Brown, & J. Schmidt (Eds.).
United Nations Development Programme. (2006). Human development report 2006. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (2012). United Nations world water development report 4 (Vol. 1). Paris: UNESCO.
United Nations Environment Programme. (2007). Global environment outlook. Valletta: Progress Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature B.V.
About this entry
Cite this entry
Dromm, K. (2019). Water, Food, and Agriculture. In: Kaplan, D.M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Food and Agricultural Ethics. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1179-9_344
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1179-9_344
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-024-1178-2
Online ISBN: 978-94-024-1179-9
eBook Packages: Religion and PhilosophyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Humanities